A Song Of Ice And Fire
by KrazyKili
Summary: I think I'll bring it up to PG13 later. Before Human Era, a lady from Tortall and a prince from Carthak meet and change the world as they know it. R/R
1. Heat and Chill

*** A Song Of Ice And Fire ***

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**_Disclaimer: I don't own the title (oh shame!) it's actually the name of the George R R Martin series I'm reading right now… But it fits so perfectly! Hehe…_**

**_I don't own Tortall ^o^ what a shock!_**

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**A bit of info: This take place B.H.E., when there were still Immortals about… which means that I just might have something about them being trapped or something… Just keep in mind that things are different, and Immortals are accepted parts of life…**

Lady Tarianna of Dunlath stared out the window, completely lost in her own thoughts. The embroidery in her hand slipped until the needle slammed into her finger.

"Goddess' Bones! That hurt!"

She threw down the embroidery and sucked on her finger in pain. Her rust-colored hair fell around her face in curled cascades, hiding her bright green eyes. Suddenly, she noticed a deep crimson drop of blood spreading on her green wool gown. She muttered under her breath and stood quickly. At the Priestess' glare and her mother's disapproving look, she curtsied quickly and asked for permission to withdraw, which was given. Tarianna swept quickly out of the room, making sure to walk gracefully so that she would not have to repeat it over and over again, as Priestess Miltda often made her. When she was clear of the room, Tarianna sprinted down the steps and into her rooms. She quickly stripped and re-dressed in her riding breeches and tunic. When she had dressed appropriately, the young lady exited the manor and took off at a dead run towards the barns.

"Ria! There you are! I was wondering if you'd show up for our lesson."

"Gods, I forgot. I'm sorry, Phey, I didn't mean to. My mother tried to keep me penned up in the solar. She's such a proper lady." The face that accompanied that statement showed clearly what she thought of that.

Lady Knight Phedre of Tasride laughed and gestured impatiently towards the barn. She was a good five or six years older than Ria in real age, but her fit body and browned skin made her look younger. Her haunted blue eyes seemed strange in her delicate, though weather-beaten face. The eyes of a fifty-year-old who has seen spidrens tear her friends apart in the face of a twenty-two-year-old. Ria returned quickly, with her mount, a young mare who had as free a spirit as Ria wished hers was. Phey's stallion pranced in place, trying to impress the mare, until Phey glared at him and sent him a mental push of annoyance. He immediately quieted and stood meekly. He knew well enough what happened when she was angry.

The two young women mounted their horses with practiced ease and set off at a quick trot towards the woods.

* * *

As Phey and Ria rode through the cool forests, Prince Areyanth Iliniat of Carthak squirmed in the heat of the autumn day.

"I hate this heat! I hate it, I hate it!"

"Relax, Arey, it's no big deal. This is mild compared to how the summer has been. And you'll be going to Tortall soon enough for their Midwinter festivities. You have nothing to complain about!"

"I just hate this heat!"

Hirath tedré Metholis sighed and reflected on his friend's peculiar temperment. He hated the heat, although he was born, bred, and raised to rule in Carthak. He seemed open and warm, but often, they would be talking, and Arey would suddenly stop and would refuse to discuss that particular subject ever again. He was so hard to understand. With an air of routine, the young nobleman ordered another fruit drink for his friend and lord, and waited for the fall of the cool night sky.

* * *

A/N: Maybe I should explain, no? There are Lady Knights, although they are still pretty rare, as most young women are encouraged to become ladies. Phedre is one such. Remember Seaver? His fief is the same as Phey's. Yup… Anyway, women doing physical things is much more encouraged than in the TP books, although women strengthening their mental prowess is frowned uipon more than in her books. With so many immortals, women need to protect the home when their men are away, but most feel that an education gets in the way of the woman's duties in the home, with a few notable exceptions, Ria's father being one. Of course, that meant that she had to give up any chance of being a Knight in exchange. Understand? Right… As for the Iliniat thing, that is actually Kaddar's last name. I checked. We'll just say that they are old dynasties, eh? And the whole tedré thing? It denotes the second son of a noble family. Tedrá is the oldest son, and the rest don't really matter, but I'll explain if need be… Anything else? I think that about covers it. I'm obsessed with blood, I think. It's a huge theme in my other fic (With Ev'ry Drop of Blood, it's R…) yup.. I think.. R/R!


	2. Thrown to the Wind

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*** A Song Of Ice And Fire ***

A/N: Okay, here's another chapter… I'm really trying to avoid studying for my history and chemistry finals. I should be studying… heh... heh… I'm sure I will eventually… right… Anyway, here's another chapter… woot! I promise I'll update **WEDoB (With Ev'ry Drop of Blood)** soon… maybe tonight?

Chapter 2: Thrown to the Wind__

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Arey stood on the deck of the ship, looking for the coast of Tortall. He wanted to know the moment it appeared. Suddenly, he heard strange noises, and looked up. Directly above him as a griffin in flight. The majestic creature, a male, he thought, was in full flight, wings spread to meet the wind, and legs curled under. His huge wings cast a shadow over the entire boat. Arey had read about these creatures, they existed mainly in Tortall and the surrounding countries, as Carthak was too hot for most of them. They preferred dark caverns near cliffs and ate mainly meat, although they sometimes lapsed into omnivores. They also had semi-hollow bones, but their bones were heavy enough to need a wingspan at least twice their body length from tip of nose to tip of tail. He envied them. They were free to fly and to feel the frozen wind biting them. He was not so free. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to meet the oncoming man. He half-smiled when he saw the captain of the ship, a man, he had no doubt, in full pay of his uncle, the Emperor. He sighed and braced himself for the lecture.

"Yer Highness, is no' safe out 'ere. Yeh saw de griffin. Der vicious creatures, dem… Yeh should git below."

He almost laughed. "I'll take your word for it. I'm sure that you know as much about griffins as I know about the men in my uncle's pay." He softly emphasized the last few words and proceeded below.

* * *

Ria looked up from the text she was reading and smiled at Phey. Phey simply nodded and looked out the window. She had been awfully curt recently, and Ria wondered if something was wrong with her. Maybe it was just returning to Corus. When the Knight had come seeking work directly after her Ordeal, it had not seemed unusual, but she seemed troubled. For the last four years, she had taken the place of a fighting servant when she should have been starting her own household. Her fief was by no means poor, after all. And when they had checked with her Knight Mentor, she had only good things to say about the young Knight. She was surprised when they had mentioned Phey's behavior, but she had muttered something about a particularly harsh Ordeal. Even so, they could find no specific reason for her actions or for her haunted look. Ria shrugged and returned to the text, a book on the history of the Bazhir, in their language. 

Several hours later, they arrived on the outskirts of Corus, after traveling for just under a week. Ria was looking forward to being able to walk around and ride again. She rubbed her stiff knees for a moment, then straightened her skirts and hair in preparation for their arrival. She removed the Dunlath Heiress' necklace from it's case and placed it around her neck, then set to planning out the next few weeks in her head.

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Arey sighed as he saw the palace growing ever nearer. He had hired a coach the moment he had stepped of the boat. He had been traveling for a day now and was looking very forward to a cool bath and silk sheets. Then suddenly, his coach pulled through the gates. He knew he still had at least a quarter-bell, as the drive was extensive. He saw the line of carriages in front of them and quickly revised that estimate. It would beat least a half-bell. He leaned into the corner between the seat and the wall to wait.

* * *

Ria stepped lightly out of her carriage and hopped over a puddle. She noticed a lot of baggage, all of it well made, coming from the carriage that was right behind theirs. She avoided all of the mud spots, flicking her wrists to move her skirts out of the way. She looked up to talk to Phey and found something completely unexpected.

* * *

Arey tapped his foot in impatience and waited for Rath to get out. He supervised the servants with quick movements of his hands and polite requests. He was eager for a bath. He cursed inside his head as he stumbled over his words in Common. His foot tapped faster and harder. He looked up to yell at his friend and found something completely unexpected. (A/N: Yes, that's deliberate)

* * *

Two pairs of eyes, one fire-specked green and the other icy blue met over the courtyard. Each of the two inadvertently took one step forward. Colors, smells, music swirled around. Orange and reds mixed with blues and purples. Cinnamon and brine woven together to be both sweet and tangy, cool and hot. A fast, heavy peasant's dance and a light, airy waltz. Gold and Ivory tones mixed, swirled, separated, and mixed again. There was a connection that neither could break from, the connection between two whose destiny is so heavily entwined that there is no way to escape it. This was not love, no, not quite that instant, pulsing love that only fades and flees. And neither was it the deep binding hatred. It was simply a connection. Pure, simple destiny. Or, at least, as simple as destiny can ever be. 

Before the two could take another step, two different hands were placed on two very different shoulders, and the connection broke, so suddenly that it left the two reeling.

"Why are you standing in a mud puddle?"

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Ria cursed fluently and jumped back, landing in another puddle. This caused another string of curses and she stomped away from the puddles and into the doorway of the palace. That was weird. She leaned against the wall and looked around. There was a young man, must be the Carthaki Prince, walking towards her, and her heart, soul, and gift, flamed in recognition as he brushed by her. And then, the sensation was gone, leaving the young lady gasping.

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Arey looked down at his leather boots and sighed. That was a very good question. He stepped carefully out of the puddle and joined Rath. He spotted another mud-drenched noble, and smiled. He saw the sun glint off of her red hair as he passed her, and felt his heart beat faster, his lungs freeze, and his stomach tighten as he passed her. When he was a few feet away from her, the sensations stopped, and he sucked in breaths as fast as he could to fill his aching lungs.

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A/N: Oooh, I like the way it turned out. A little cliché perhaps, but good. Is anyone confused about that. By the way, Corus was a lot smaller then, as was Port Caynn, and I have not read the Alanna books (bad me!) I don't know how far away it was in her time from Corus, so I'm just making a guess. I love Rath and Phey :D Phey's a tad screwed up eh? Well, someone has to be… It's a prerequisite for my stories (oooh, big word!) anyway, I do really need to study now, so I'll end it here. Hopefully I'll be able to post something more before Christmas. Until then, REVIEW!!! No, really, Happy Holidays!


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